Maharashtra: 5 Pandharpur pilgrims killed, 42 injured in expressway accident

Mumbai: The wari (pilgrimage) to Pandharpur for Aashadi Ekadashi celebrations turned fatal as the bus collided with a tractor near Panvel on Mumbai-Pune Expressway killing five Warkaris and injuring 42 people. After hitting the tractor, the bus rammed into an expressway barricade and fell into a 20-foot-deep gorge.

The mishap occurred on Tuesday at around 1 am near Panvel. The pilgrims were Warkaris (devotees of Lord Vitthal), who were travelling from Dombivli to Pandharpur for the Aashadhi Ekadashi celebration.

The bus, carrying 54 passengers including the driver, had departed from Dombivli around 10:30 PM on July 15 for a pilgrimage to Pandharpur. The collision occurred when the bus collided with a tractor, which was not permitted on the expressway.

After hitting the tractor, the bus rammed into an expressway barricade and fell into a 20-foot-deep gorge. The impact killed three bus passengers and the tractor’s driver, Tarvez Salahuddin Ahmed (27), along with Deepak Sohan Rajbhar (30).

The deceased bus passengers were identified as Hausabai Hari Patil (65), Ramdas Narayan Mukadam (71), and Gurunath Bapu Patil (65). The injured were rushed to a private hospital, with seven in serious condition.

“A bus carrying 84 passengers collided with a tractor and fell into a ditch near the Mumbai Express Highway. All the injured were admitted to the nearby MGM Hospital in Kamothe,” said DCP Navi Mumbai Pankaj Dahane.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has announced financial aid of Rs five lakh for the families of those deceased and assured the best medical treatment for the injured, with the government covering all expenses. The CM, after visiting victims at a Navi Mumbai hospital, stated that police were investigating the accident and those responsible would be held accountable.

“I met the injured people and they expressed that they were alive due to the blessings of Lord Pandurang,” Shinde added.

Ashadhi Ekadashi will be celebrated on Wednesday. Lakhs of warkaris undertake the pilgrimage every year to Pandharpur, where they converge on the Ashadhi Ekadashi from all parts of Maharashtra.